Process for making asphalt



New. 12, I929. L, KIRSCHBRAUN 1135503 PROCESS FOR MAKING ASPHALT Filed Jan. 27, 1923 1 Nov. 12, tea

ii RAUN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AS SIGNOR OF QNE-HALF TO FRANK L.

BELKNAP, 0]!" CHICAGO, ILLINOIS I PROCESS FOR MAKING- ASPHALT -App1ication filed January 27, 1923. Serial No. 615,238.

This invention relates to improvements in process for making asphalt, and is an improvement on my former process set forth in issued Patent No. 1,194,750. In accordance with the invention of said earlier patent, a superior grade of ductile and highly cementitious asphalt was made. The present invention is directed to improvements in making asphalt of a similar character. 1

In accordance with the'present invention, the petroleum residuum which is to be converted into asphalt is first preheated, and then mixed with steam and passed through a suitable heating coil or other heating element where the mixture is superheated. The idea is to superheat the steam in its passsage through the heating coil, and also to heat the petroleum to such a temperature as to cause very rapid vaporization of the lighter constituents of the petroleum.

The process is so carried out as to produce a very intimate mixture of the superheated steam and the petroleum. It is also desirable to regulate the relative portions of steam and petroleum so as to be able to vary the consistency and other characteristics of the finished product. 1

Another distinguishing feature of the invention is to produce a continuous process (contradistinguished from the so called batch process) of making asphalt.

In carrying out the invention I preferably use petroleum residuum of an asphalt bearing nature, as for example Mexican, California and certain Texas oils. Of course, the invention may be carried out using the sa called semi-asphaltic Mid-Continent oils. v

To more clearly illustrate the invention, I show in the accompanying drawing which is a diagrammatic side elevational view partly in vertical section of an apparatus suitable for carrying out the process.

1 is a furnace in which is mounted the heating coils 2 which in the present instance takes the form of a continuous three or four inch pipe, say 600 to 800 feet long, these dimenthe line 28 from also seated in the furnace. The branch 4 may be cut out by shutting the valve 7 and opening the valve 8 in the line 9, the, latter extending to the lower end of the chamber 6 and terminating in a perforated pipe or series of spiderlike pipes 10 arranged from a header near the bottom of the chamber. By opening the valve 7 in the line 4. the mixture of oil, vapors and steam may be delivered in the form of a foam below the level of the liquid contained in the chamber 6.

If desired, the residuum may be delivered simultaneously through the spray pipe 5 and the perforated pipe 10. Drawofi pipe 11 having a throttle valve 12 is also provided for drawing off the finished product from the vaporizing chamber'G.

out of the upper end of the chamber throughv the pipe 13 having a throttle valve 14 to a suitable heat interchanger 15. This heat interchanger 15 has the upper and lower headers 16 and 17 connected by the open ended pipes 18. The header 17 in turn connects through the pipe 19 and throttle valve 20 to a water condenser 21 leading to a receiver 22. The residuum to be treated is drawn in by line 23 connected to suitable sources of supply by means of the pump 24, and then pumped through the line 25 to the chamber 26 surrounding the tubes 18. This chamber 26 acts as a heatinterchanger for preheatin the residuum and cooling the vapors an superheated steam. The preheated residuum is forced by means of the pump 24' through the line 27 which is preferably insulated, to'the coil 2. At the entrance to the .coil 2, steam is admixed with the hot resid uum, which steam may be injected through 1 any suitable source of sup- P yi l The steam maybe injected in the same directionor flow as that of the oil as it enters the coil, and in such a manner as to produce a very intimate mixture of the residuum and steam. If desired, the saturated steam at a temperature of 250 to 300 F., may be injected, the residuum at this time being heated to approximately the same temperature. As the mixture passes through the coil 2, it

may be heated to a temperature of 600 to 750 F., depending upon the character of the oil treated, and the product desired. If the residuum to be treated, is of a relatively high boiling point and has little volatile light matter, it may be necessary to introduce a larger amount of steam than if the contrary were true.

In treating Mid-Continent semi-asphaltic petroleum of 12 to 16 Baum gravity, it is desirable to take off a relatively large amount of high boiling point distillates in which case product, continuously introducing the mixture from said path to said bulk supply in a plurality of jets below the liquid level thereof and there separating the volatile constituents from the liquid end product while subjecting the said bulk supply to agitation, and separately withdrawing the steam reduced asphalt from said bulk supply. 1

LESTER KIRSCHBRAUN.

the amount of steam is relatively large. The

operator can readily determine the amount of steam to use by ascertaining whether or not the finished product'has the desired characteristics. If, for example, the finished product is too soft, or inother words, not enou h of the volatile matter has been distille it will be desirable to introduce more steam, while on the other hand, if the material is too hard, then too much of the volatile matter has been removed, and the steam supply should be cut down or the temperature lowered. The regulation of the amount of steam will be readily determined by one skilled in the art.

It will also be seen by regulatingthe temperature and the relation between the amount of steam and oil entering the system, the consistency of the product can be varied at will.

With reference to the heat interchanger,

there should be a sufiicient number of tubes ture of such len h and dimenison that the temperature o the oiltreated is raised above the steam temperature, and the temperature of the vapors reduced not below 220 F., so that the bulk of the oily vapors will condense without emulsification.

I claim} as my invention: I 1. A process of producing asphalt comprising passing petroleum residuum through a long confined path of relatively narrow cross section, introducingsteam into the residuum traveling in said path, gradually elevating the temperature of the flowing mixture whereby to superheat the steam and cause intimate contact of the residuum therewith, maintaining a bulk supply of liquid end product, continuously introducing the mixfrom said path to said bulk supply in a plurality of jets below the liquid level thereof and there separating the volatile constituents from the liquid end product while subjecting the said bulk supply to agitation, and separately withdrawing the steam reduced asphalt from said bulk supply.

2. A process of producing asphalt comprising mixing petroleum residuum and steam, leading the mixture through a path of narrow cross section, gradually elevating the temperature of the flowing mixture whereby to superheat the steam and cause intimate contact of the residuum therewith, maintaining a bulk supply of liquid end 

